Hudson National Welcomes 117th Met Amateur
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 31, 2019) – Picturesque Hudson National Golf Club returns to the Met Area golf spotlight August 1-4 as it welcomes the region's top players to compete in the 117th edition of the Met Amateur Championship. The MGA's oldest championship once again features a deep field of decorated players, all aiming to add their name to a list of winners that includes historic names like Walter Travis, Jerry Travers, and Willie Turnesa.
Related: Pairings | Video Previews
The Met Amateur perhaps serves as the MGA's most grueling championship in its testing of both skill and stamina. The top 16 players advance to match play following 36 holes of on-site stroke play qualifying. Four rounds of match play then follow, including a 36-hole championship match to determine the victor.
Additional Information: Met Amateur History | Met Amateur Records
Repeat in the Repertoire?
A steady week all around led Ryan Davis of New Jersey National to the title last year at Arcola. The defense of the Met Am has been hard to come by, with Johnson Wagner standing as the last back-to-back winner in 2001-02). Cameron Wilson is the last competitor to advance to the championship match in successive years, winning in 2009 and falling to Evan Beirne in the 2010 final.
Advancing Again?
Ike champion Dawson Jones of Eagle Oaks and Ethan Ng of Knickerbocker own the longest match play streaks in the Met Amateur, having finished inside the top 16 over 36 holes of stroke play each of the last three years. Jones has also won at least a match during the stretch, while Ng had his streak cut last year after falling to James Nicholas of Westchester Country Club in the Round of 16. Nicholas and 2017 Met Am champion Matt Mattare of Darlington have both advanced to match play each of the last two years.
Major Feat
Jones is aiming to become the 10th competitor to win both the Ike and the Met Amateur in the same year, following his win at Canoe Brook in June. David Pastore was the last to win the first two majors of the year, doing so in 2014. Jones has continued his stellar play since the Ike, qualifying for the U.S. Amateur and winning the New Jersey State Amateur at Neshanic Valley.
All-Amateur Team
This year's amateur champions from the different regions of the Met Area are all aiming to add another title to their resumes. Christian Cavaliere of Mahopac achieved the three-peat at the 100th Westchester Amateur, while Prescott Butler of Meadow Brook put together a convincing run to capture the Long Island Amateur. The two will play alongside the aforementioned Jones during the stroke play portion, while Connecticut State Amateur Rick Dowling of Golf Performance Center is in the field as well.
Champions Upon Champions
There are a host of players in the field that have claimed MGA championships:
| Erick Alonso | Knickerbocker | '14 Carter Cup |
| Gray Barnes | Centennial | '19 Public Links |
| Jack Boatwright | Brooklawn | '18 Met Junior |
| Ben Carpenter | Country Club of Darien | '19 Carter Cup |
| Christian Cavaliere | Mahopac | '16 Met Junior |
| Ryan Davis | New Jersey National | '18 Met Amateur |
| Nathan Han | MGA eClub - Hudson Valley | '15-'16 Boys |
| Darin Goldstein | Deepdale | '17 Mid-Amateur |
| Jonathan Jeter | Nassau Players | '18 Public Links |
| Dawson Jones | Eagle Oaks | '14 Met Junior, '19 Ike |
| Matt Mattare | Darlington | '17 Met Amateur |
| Ethan Ng | Knickerbocker | '16-'17 Carter Cup |
| Carter Prince | Huntington Crescent | '18 Carter Cup |
| Trevor Randolph | Arcola | '15-'16 Mid-Am |
| Mike Stamberger | Manasquan River | '03 Met Amateur |
| Brad Tilley | Sleepy Hollow | '03 Ike |
72 Holes, 2 Days
Nine of the Met Area's finest up-and-coming talent will go from competing in the 17th Carter Cup at Baltusrol (contested over both the Lower Course & Upper Course) on Wednesday to the Met Amateur on Thursday: Ben Carpenter of Country Club of Darien, MGA eClub - Hudson Valley member Nathan Han, Matt Minerva of Hudson National, MGA eClub - NYC member Luke Sample, and Jack Wall of Manasquan River.
Reppin' the Host Club
In addition to Minerva, Robert Chen and David Weisfeld stand as Hudson National members looking to gather host club support in the Met Amateur.
POY Positioning
With just over two months remaining in the season's golf schedule, the race for the MGA Jerry Courville Sr. Player of the Year Award begins to take shape. Nine of the top-10 players in the standings through July 30th are in the field at Hudson National, including each of the top nine. The Met Amateur champion will receive 275 points. The top four players in the standings (Cavaliere, Jones, Nicholas, La Morte) are separated by just 43 points.
Format
- 36 holes of on-site stroke play qualifying on Thursday to determine the 16 competitors for match play
- Two rounds of match play Friday, semifinals on Saturday and 36-hole championship match on Sunday
Hudson National Golf Club
- Tom Fazio design that opened in 1996
- Ranked 81st in Golf Digest's latest "Top 100 U.S. Golf Courses"
- Has previously hosted the Carey Cup (1996), Met Amateur (2001, Johnson Wagner), Met Open (2004, Rick Hartmann), Mid-Am (2007, Mike Reardon)
Coverage
- 9- and 18-hole updates during Thursday's stroke play qualifying
- Live hole-by-hole scoring for every match
- Social media: @MGA1897 on Twitter for updates through each day; additional content on Facebook and Instagram
- Scoring, recaps, interviews and photos on mgagolf.org